Olney Springs WWTP - Crowley County, Colorado Wastewater Treatment Plant

Olney Springs WWTP is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The facility serves a small population of 392 residents, reflecting its role in a rural community. The plant operates under the regulatory framework of the US Clean Water Act, which requires secondary treatment for municipal wastewater discharges. The plant provides secondary treatment, a standard biological process that removes organic matter and suspended solids. With a designed capacity of 189.27 megaliters per year and an actual discharge volume of 113.56 megaliters per year, the facility operates below its capacity. The plant is owned and operated by local municipal authorities, and its discharge is permitted under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. The treated effluent from Olney Springs WWTP is discharged into a local waterway that eventually drains into the Arkansas River basin. The Arkansas River flows through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas before reaching the Mississippi River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's discharge contributes to the water quality of this important regional watershed.

The plant discharges into a tributary of the Arkansas River, which flows through the semi-arid plains of southeastern Colorado. The Arkansas River supports diverse aquatic life and provides water for agriculture and communities downstream. The river eventually joins the Mississippi River, making its way to the Gulf of Mexico. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect the local watershed from nutrient pollution and organic loading.